Iruka's Romance Chronicles
by Red Roses2
Summary: I've decided to put all of oneshots of Irusomething into a collection of stories. So far we have IruShika, IruKiba, IruSasu, IruIno, IruSaku, and a surprise.
1. Shikamaru's Troublesome Life

Red Roses2: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Warnings: Shonen-ai, shota (aka man-on-boy). Pairing: IruShika. One-shot. Flame me, I torture you. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, however.  
-

This is troublesome, thought Shikamaru as he wrote his essay on the history of the Hyuuga clan. Iruka-sensei, for homework, told the class to write essays on all the ninja clans they could think of. Shikamaru, and various others, thanked Kami-sama that Iruka-sensei had put a rule saying that, in order for an essay to be valid, a member of each clan they chose had to reside in the class. Shikamaru knew that it was because Iruka-sensei wanted the class to get to know each other better. How this assignment was supposed to help with that, Shikamaru wasn't sure.

The seven-year-old stretched and yawned. It should be dinnertime soon, Shikamaru thought. He glanced up at his cloud-and-star-dotted ceiling. Maybe no one would notice if he snuck out and did some cloud-watching.

"I'VE HAD IT!" screamed the voice of his mother.

Shikamaru removed himself from his chair and tiptoed over to his bedroom door. Were they arguing over taxes, food, or missions again?

"I CAN'T TAKE YOUR LAZY ASS WAYS ANY LONGER! YOU JUST SIT THERE WHILE EVERYONE ELSE WORKS THEIR ASSES OFF!"

"I DO TOO WORK! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN I'M A NINJA?"

"YOU HAVEN'T BEEN WORKING LATELY! YOU'VE TURNED DOWN EVERY MISSION THE HOKAGE HAS BEEN TRYING TO GIVE YOU!"

"I'VE BEEN BUSY!"

"YEAH, YOU'VE BEEN BUSY! WASTING TIME AWAY WATCHING THE SKY!"

Shikamaru trembled. His father never yelled; he usually found it too troublesome. He'd never admit it to anyone, but this was scaring him. He closed his door all the way, grabbed his paper, pencil, and a flashlight, and snuck underneath his covers, hoping the cloth would muffle the sound.

"I WANT A DIVORCE!" shrieked his mother.

Shikamaru covered his ears. This was so troublesome that it shouldn't be happening.

-

Shikamaru sat across from Iruka-sensei. The other students were outside training while Iruka-sensei and Shikamaru played go and shogi. Iruka-sensei said he would let all of his students play it as a strategy exercise. Shikamaru happened to be the first to play. How troublesome, Shikamaru thought. The seven-year-old growled at the board. Iruka-sensei was good. Despite his cleverness, Iruka-sensei continued to win. Shikamaru, not finding it troublesome, continuously challenged him to rematches. It kept his mind off of his parents' arguments and talks of divorce.

"Shikamaru-kun? You seem troubled. What's wrong?" Iruka-sensei asked; his voice was tinged with worry and concern.

The boy grumbled something incoherently and his stare intensified. Iruka-sensei raised an eyebrow at the look. Shikamaru turned his attention back at the board.

"Nothing's wrong, sensei. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"You're trying to distract me."

"We can pause for a moment if you'd like to talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Silence reigned for a while, the sound of go pieces hitting the board breaking it every now and then.

"If someone's hurting you in any way, I'd like to know about it. I can help," Iruka-sensei said.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed in frustration and sadness.

"No, you can't," Shikamaru insisted.

"Is it one of the other teachers?"

Shikamaru looked at Iruka-sensei and raised an eyebrow. Why would it be one of the other teachers?

"Or a Jonin?" Iruka-sensei continued, "Chuunin, villager, foreigner? Family member?"

Shikamaru tensed at the mention of a family member. Iruka-sensei's eyes flashed with anger for a second and then returned to their concerned and worried state.

"Shikamaru-kun, please tell me. I want to help you and protect you if necessary."

Shikamaru bit his lip. A sob escaped from his mouth as he remembered his mother's words.

I WANT A DIVORCE!

I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR FAMILY ANYMORE!

Shikamaru broke down crying, muttering something about tears being troublesome. Iruka-sensei came over to the boy and pulled him into a comforting hug.

"It's alright. It's alright. I'm here. Nothing's going to hurt you now," Iruka-sensei whispered into his ear.

The seven-year-old calmed himself down and removed his face from his sensei's vest.

"M-my parents s-say they're g-getting a divorce. M-Mommy said sh-she wants n-nothing to d-do with the N-Nara clan anymore. That includes me, Iruka-sensei! My mother doesn't want anything to do with me anymore!" he cried, needing to bury his face into his teacher's vest again.

Iruka-sensei rocked him gently. He sighed as thought in relief, but then he glared at the go board, anger and determination flaring up in his eyes.

-

The yelling stopped after Shikamaru's confinement in Iruka-sensei. His mother hugged him and told him she loved him every day. His father sat around doing nothing a little less often; he was still the laziest person in Konoha, however. Shikamaru, a week later, figured out that Iruka-sensei must've talked to them or something in order to get them to settle their differences. The boy thanked Iruka-sensei for that.

Shikamaru, as the years went by, obtained a different problem, unfortunately. By the time he turned twelve, he had gained a crush on Iruka-sensei. He knew it would be too troublesome to date his teacher because if they did ever get together, it was against the law. Iruka-sensei would be thrown in prison or killed depending on how kind the Hokage felt. His father and mother would forbid Iruka-sensei to come anywhere near him. He didn't even know what Ino and Chouji's views on homosexuality were, so Kami-sama knew how troublesome being shunned by his two best friends would be.

Dreaming about Iruka-sensei, the more older he became, also became really troublesome. Erections showing up while he was cloud-watching with Chouji and thinking of Iruka-sensei at the same time were more embarrassing than the wet dreams.

Of course there was always the possibility that Iruka-sensei detested homosexuality. He didn't seem the type to have prejudice against anyone, though. However, the mere thought made Shikamaru feel like driving a kunai through his skull to make him stop thinking and spare the world all the troublesome stuff he could cause.

Iruka-sensei still played go and shogi with him. He was still the only one who could beat him. Iruka-sensei still could tell when he was upset, despite the lazy look on his face that seemed to scream "I'm extremely bored." Iruka-sensei still wanted to make him feel better. It was enough to make Shikamaru cry all over again, even at the age of fourteen. Iruka-sensei would still hold him like he did when Shikamaru was seven. He still listened to Shikamaru like he did when he was seven.

"I – I – I really, really, really like you, Iruka-sensei. N-not j-just in a student-teacher relationship, b-b-but in – in – in a – romantic way," Shikamaru said; stuttering was really troublesome; he couldn't understand how Hinata could talk like that in normal speech all the time.

Iruka-sensei didn't let go. He didn't push him away. He held him tighter.

"I really like you too, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru looked up at Iruka-sensei.

"However, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until you're older. There's a law about ninja under the age of seventeen dating anyone older than seventeen," Iruka-sensei added.

Shikamaru glared lazily at him.

"Hn. How troublesome."

-

Red Roses2: Please report any OOC-ness. Constructive criticism will be revered on a pedestal, but flames will be banished to the darkest depths of the netherworld. 


	2. Drowned Puppy

Red Roses2: I don't own Naruto. IruKiba. Warnings: Shonen-ai, shota (aka man-on-boy). Flame me, I torture you. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, however.  
-

"Hey! Akamaru! Where are you?" a six-year-old Kiba cried out.

He and Akamaru conducted some exploring on their own, apart from the rest of the class, and now he had lost Akamaru. No, Kiba was not lost, no matter what that Shino kid and the Uchiha would be insisting. He merely enjoyed exploring without a dirt path to follow, in an area of the forest where the rest of his classmates would never be able to find him. That's why he was so good at Hide-and-go-Seek.

Kiba fought through shrubbery and once was attacked by a feisty tree and a lethal rose bush. The plants ganged up on him, he swore it! He stumbled backwards after claiming victory over the now-ruined rose bush and tripped onto a river bank. A familiar yelp reached his ears over the sound of rushing rapids. Kiba shot up and saw Akamaru being dragged away by the rapids.

"AKAMARU!" Kiba cried, diving in after him.

That's when he remembered. Not only did Akamaru not know how to swim, but neither did he. His head went under, hands flailing about above. Akamaru's howls became muffled in his ears. His lungs seemed to compress with little oxygen. He tried to fight his instincts for once in his life, but he couldn't. He opened his mouth and breathed in. He knew no more after that.

-

Kiba slowly opened his eyes. His vision was bleary, but he could just make out an almost familiar face. It seemed tan and in possession of long hair in a ponytail.

"Kiba-kun! Thank Kami-sama, you're alive!" Iruka-sensei's voice pounded in his ears, inducing a headache.

Kiba sat up and rubbed at his eyes. What happened? He scanned his memory for recent events.

"Akamaru! Where's Akamaru?" Kiba demanded.

"He's right here, safe and sound in a blanket next to the oven. You're both in my apartment," Iruka-sensei reassured. "Are you feeling cold?"

"Uh, yeah, a little," Kiba said, shivering slightly.

Iruka-sensei nodded, stood up, and walked over to the stove, carefully avoiding Akamaru.

"Would you like hot chocolate or tea?"

"Hot chocolate!"

Iruka-sensei chuckled to himself. Kiba grinned happily at him. The six-year-old beckoned Akamaru to him and his puppy complied. The dog walked over to Kiba, careful in keeping his blanket secure on his back.

"Do my parents know I'm here?" Kiba asked.

Iruka-sensei frowned a little.

"I'm afraid they don't. Your father had a very important mission and your mother hasn't come back from her mission. Your sister is being taken care of by your aunt, but I have yet to locate her."

"Oh. Okay."

Kiba accepted his hot chocolate and blew on it before taking a sip.

"Thanks for saving me, Iruka-sensei!"

"Your welcome. Kiba-kun, do you know how to swim?"

"Uh, no, I don't, but I wasn't really thinking about that. I just wanted to make sure Akamaru was safe, that's all."

Iruka-sensei nodded.

"Just, please, Kiba-kun, don't go running off like that again. You had me very worried. When I couldn't find you with the others, it was like a nightmare. You and your classmates are my first students, did you now that?"

Kiba blinked in surprise.

"What? We're your first students! But you act like you've been doing this for years!"

Iruka-sensei laughed good-naturedly.

"I'm glad you think so. Actually, I've always been able to manage children well for some reason, even back in . . . ."

Iruka-sensei shook his head and ruffled Kiba's hair.

"Just don't go diving into water without knowing how to swim again, okay?" the seventeen-year-old teacher said.

"Okay!" Kiba replied happily.

-

Twelve-year-old Kiba sat at his seat, chin sitting in his left hand while his right hand scribbled on a piece of paper. From a distance, one would think that he was taking notes. Someone who knew Kiba knew that he wasn't taking notes. But no one, not even Akamaru, would be able to guess what he was drawing, not even by noticing that he kept his eyes on Iruka-sensei except for glancing every now and then at his paper. Akamaru, who was sitting on his head, wouldn't be able to understand why Kiba was drawing a (very good) picture of Iruka-sensei, and Kiba wouldn't explain if Akamaru asked him. Why was Kiba drawing a picture of his teacher? It was because he found himself being infatuated with Iruka-sensei ever since he realized he had a crush on him, and that was when he was ten years old. Maybe this crush started back when Iruka-sensei saved his butt back when he was six. Kiba didn't know and, to be quite honest, he didn't care. Other than an occasional thought on how his parents and sister would react to the fact that he, the future head of their clan, was homosexual, all he really thought about in his free time was what a love life with Iruka-sensei would be like. He always found himself blushing heavily whenever he reached a certain part.

Kiba blinked when he realized that the bell had rung. He quickly gathered his things clumsily and dashed out the door, not wanting to be late for lunch. The sounds of paper fluttering against the wind erupted throughout the class, and Kiba failed to notice that certain drawings fell out of his notebook.

-

Kiba didn't notice until he was fourteen. He hadn't seen Iruka-sensei in way too long and he couldn't stand it any more. Even in paper form, it would be enough. But he couldn't find the more graphic drawings. He panicked.

"Uh, Hana, you didn't happen to find any drawings of mine, did you?" Kiba asked hesitantly.

"No," his sister replied casually. "I didn't even know you liked to draw."

Kiba frowned. There went his first guess.

"Okaa-san, you haven't found any drawings done by me, have you?"

"No, Kiba-chan, and I'm a little busy. I don't have time for that," his mother said.

Kiba nodded, thanking Kami-sama that she didn't find them. That would've been the second worst case scenario. The worst would be . . . Iruka-sensei finding them.

Kiba paled considerably and he dashed off to find Iruka-sensei. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

-

Kiba found Iruka-sensei sitting in his office at the Academy, staring at what looked like some documents. Kiba hesitantly knocked on the door. What does he think if he has them? What'll he think if I ask looking all scared and he doesn't have them? What if he does have them, and he hates me? Kiba couldn't bare the thought of it.

"Ah, Kiba-kun, hello!" Iruka-sensei greeted, sounding surprised. "Is something wrong? You seem tense."

"Uh . . . Iruka-sensei, you don't happen to have any . . . drawings I've lost, do you? They were . . . kind of personal." Yeah, that sounded really brave and manly, Kiba, you idiot!

"Oh. You mean these?"

Kiba looked up and paled at the sight of pictures of Iruka-sensei shirtless, Iruka-sensei waist-deep in the hot springs, Iruka-sensei with his clothes sticking to him because of rain and sweat, and several others that weren't nearly as embarrassing. Great, now he was probably going to think of him as some sort of stalker!

"I have only one question. Why are all of these of me?" Iruka-sensei asked.

The man stood in front of Kiba and knelt down so that they were at eye-level. Kiba flushed slightly. He opened his mouth to say something, but it wouldn't come out; he wondered if this was what Hinata always felt like. Iruka-sensei waited patiently for some sort of response. Kiba knew that he probably didn't expect to be lip-locked by his former student. The kiss, though heavenly, only lasted five seconds. Iruka-sensei pulled back, looking surprised. Kiba hoped that it was only surprised, not disgusted or anything. It was bad enough that he couldn't see him enough what with missions and training. The fourteen-year-old waited for a rejection; as Kiba grew older, he realized that Iruka-sensei was too much to ask for.

"Kiba-kun, are you sure I'm the one you want? That I'm not just some stupid crush that you'll get over in a few months?"

"No!" Kiba said loudly and suddenly. "I've loved you ever since I was at least ten! That's four years! Iruka-sensei, I don't have a crush on you. I love you!"

There, it was out.

Iruka-sensei, after a few moments of letting it sink in, smiled warmly at him.

"I love you too, Kiba-kun."

Kiba's face lit up and he kissed Iruka-sensei on the lips again. Iruka-sensei pushed him away, though. Kiba looked at him confusedly.

"But, we can't do anything until you're seventeen."

Kiba blinked. He blinked again. He blinked twice more.

"WHAT?" he yelled, pouting. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

-

Red Roses2: Please report any OOC-ness, grammatical errors, ect. Lucky Kiba gets to kiss Iruka-kun while Shikamaru only got to be cuddled. Flames will be banished to the netherworld. Constructive critism would be appreciated. 


	3. An Uchiha Crush

Red Roses2: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. IruSasu. Just because its plot popped up first. Constructive criticism would be nice.  
-

Why Itachi? Why? Why did you do it? Why did you kill them all? Mother? Where are you? Is there really such thing as Heaven? Is that where you are? Is that where you are, Father? Grandmother? Grandfather? Aunt? Uncle? Why Itachi? Why did you do it?

"Sasuke-kun? Why are you standing out in the rain all alone?" Iruka-sensei's voice said, piercing through the silence and the six-year-old's reverie.

Sasuke looked up and emotionlessly stared into his teacher's face. The man wore a look of concern across his tanned face. Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together as the images flashed through his mind again and again and again. His father and mother lying dead on the nightingale floor, his aunts and uncles and cousins littering the street, their blood staining the grass, Itachi standing above their parents' corpses without any sign of emotion at all, not even regret or psychotic glee.

"Come, Sasuke-kun. How about you stay at my apartment for the night?" Iruka-sensei said, handing the boy his umbrella.

Sasuke rejected the invitation and the umbrella with a shake of his head. He walked off down the road, his thoughts engulfing him again.

"If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always here, Sasuke-kun!" Iruka-sensei called after him.

Sasuke stopped in his steps and glanced back at his teacher. He watched as Iruka-sensei walked in the direction of the man's apartment. His dark blue bangs fell into the boy's eyes and his wet clothes clung to him. Images of Itachi returned into his vision. His fists and teeth clenched. He needed to do something with this depression. He couldn't let it get to him, keep him back. He needed to turn it into something else, something that could help him become a better ninja. Anything to numb the pain, to not let anything like that happen again.

-

Have to train harder! Have to train harder! Have to get stronger! So I can kill him! So I can get revenge! So I can protect . . . !

What was he thinking? Protect who? Well, obviously himself, but that wasn't what he was going to say. He didn't understand why he had this inclination to protect that person, he only knew that he wanted to. It wasn't like he thought it was a bad thing. Anyone would want to protect him, to keep him out of harm's way. But he wanted to know why it was so important to him.

"Sasuke-kun, school is over!" said Iruka-sensei. "Come back in!"

Sasuke refused to follow his orders. Didn't he understand that he had to do this? That he needed to do this? That he didn't just need to do this for himself, but for his family and Iruka-sensei, too? He didn't yet know why he had to do it for Iruka-sensei, but it felt like a need to be satisfied. It scratched at his brain, especially at night, when the nightmares of murders and Itachi struck the most. Iruka-sensei slowly appeared more and more often in each and every one of those nightmares, being killed, beheaded, mutilated, and various other bloody ends.

"Sasuke! You've been out here for over two hours! If you keep working that hard right now, you'll . . . !"

Faint from exhaustion? A little too late for that warning, Iruka-sensei.

Sasuke hit the ground, unconscious, panting and Itachi's last words to him echoing in his ears.

-

He opened an eye to find himself in a strange room. He sat up, sheets falling off him, and looked around. This wasn't the Uchiha mansion. It was a large apartment at most. Where was he? Sasuke glanced at the window. Moonlight poured into it. What time was it? Sasuke removed himself from the bed and gasped. He quickly covered his mouth so he couldn't make any more noises. Iruka-sensei lay sleeping on a futon on the floor. So this was his apartment? He took care of him? Sasuke lowered his hand from his mouth and stepped quietly toward his teacher.

"Thank you, sensei," he whispered and left a light kiss on the man's cheek.

Why'd I do that? he thought. Maybe I'll understand later.

-

Understand he did. He didn't like it though. He couldn't like a guy! He had to carry on the clan! He needed to be attracted to girls! Father and Mother, if alive, wouldn't stand for that! He couldn't be gay! He couldn't!

Sasuke glanced up at his Academy teacher as he called out names for teams. He groaned a little. Iruka-sensei's voice was a turn-on, however, and he was fairly sexy. No! Can't think like that, can't think like that, concentrate on being on the same team as Haruno and Uzumaki . . . . . I'm on the same team as Naruto and that empty-headed girl?

-

He had betrayed the village. He was working for Orochimaru. All of this just to kill Itachi. Why was this feeling like torture? He was doing what he had wanted to do for years. Why was it hurting, and why was it hurting this much?

"How is my new protégée doing?" asked Orochimaru.

Sasuke turned around and glared at him.

"Like how the village looks?"

Sasuke refused to answer.

"I was thinking. Usually when one switches villages, there's this form you have to sign and fill out, but I have a different option."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. Orochimaru walked closer to him and extended a hand to grab him. Sasuke smacked it away.

"Don't touch me," Sasuke growled.

"Tsk, tsk. So ungrateful. I'm the one teaching you now, remember? I believe I'm allowed to have a little fun with you."

"Shut up! You're to keep your hands and every other body part off me!"

"But what's the fun in just looking at you?"

"I'll never allow you."

There's only one person he'd allow to do anything like that to him . . . . Sasuke fought back a blush at the thought of an intimate relationship with Iruka-sensei.

Get those thoughts out of your head, Sasuke, he's out of reach now. He'll never think of you that way now. You're a traitor and almost killed Naruto, the boy he thought of as a little brother. Iruka-sensei's off limits. Forever.

-

Naruto had brought Sasuke back to the village. Tsuande-sama required Sasuke to be around ANBU at all times, or at least a competent ninja. Anko literally chewed him up and interrogated him for Sound ninja and Orochimaru information. Most of Rookie Nine were still suspicious of him. Sakura wasn't as interested in him as she was before anymore; he didn't think that was really a bad thing, though. He hadn't run into Iruka-sensei since he returned, however.

Sasuke sighed. He accepted defeat a long time ago, but this crush wouldn't dissipate and go away. It nagged at him everyday for the past years. It was really annoying. The fifteen-year-old decided that it probably was revenge for the horrible stuff he did, and that he was most likely going to die with this problem. Curse being an Uchiha.

"Hello, Saskue-kun," said a familiar voice.

Sasuke jumped, turned around, and stared.

Iruka-sensei . . . .

"How are you today?" the man asked.

Sasuke gulped, "Uh . . . ."

Iruka-sensei blinked. Sasuke shook his head and mumbled a fine. The fifteen-year-old looked around and blinked. He just noticed that his sentinels were gone. He glanced at a store and sweat dropped. They were at the Icha Icha Paradise sale. There were way too many perverts in this village. Sasuke looked back at Iruka-sensei and fought back another blush. It had been too long since the last time he saw him.

"How are you?" Sasuke managed to spit out.

Iruka-sensei smiled warmly at him and answered kindly. Even after all he had done, Iruka-sensei was still being nice to him. A small smile won its battle with Sasuke's pride and appeared on his face.

-

Sasuke was sixteen now. Tsuande, after the Icha Icha incident with the ANBU ninja, assigned Sasuke to help Iruka-sensei with papers and assigning missions. This meant more time with Iruka-sensei, which meant more blushing, more smiling, and over all more being happy. Sasuke's transformation scared the hell out of Rookie Nine, Kakashi-sensei and pretty much everyone else. There was now a rumor going around that Iruka-sensei could replace negative personalities with positive ones. The Uchiha wouldn't put it past him, but he doubted it was true.

The younger one glanced at the older one. They could both feel the afternoon creeping its way into the day because of the increased drowsiness in the air. Sasuke stretched and glanced at Iruka-sensei. The man was still immersed in his work. The Uchiha looked up at the ceiling again. He bit his lip, contemplating. Should he say something? He glanced at Iruka-sensei again. He turned a little red and looked back at the papers in front of him. Continuing with his work, he periodically glanced at Iruka-sensei. Part of him hoped the man noticed, the other part prayed that he didn't.

Kakashi-sensei teleported into the room.

"Sorry, Iruka-kun, I've brought more papers," Kakashi announced.

Both Sasuke and Iruka-sensei glared at him.

"Papers that were due last week," they said in unison.

Kakashi sighed; they knew he thought that was a little scary. That was exactly why they were doing that.

"I know, and I'm sorry."

Apologizing was the only way to get them to stop talking at the same time any time soon.

"If you were really sorry, you'd stop doing it," they said together.

Sasuke smirked as Kakashi-sensei sighed again. The silver-haired man gave Iruka-sensei the papers. The youngest one went back to his documents, thinking that Kakashi-sensei was going to leave now, just like he always did.

"You know, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi-sensei said; Sasuke looked up, surprised; he hadn't been called –kun by anyone except for Iruka-sensei ever since he got back. "One step in dating someone is telling him that you actually like him. I suggest you do it now before someone else gets him first."

Blushing furiously, Sasuke said, "How the hell do you know about that?"

Kakashi grinned under his mask.

"Have you forgotten that I was your teacher?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to say more, but Kakashi teleported away. Sasuke pouted a little and glanced slightly at Iruka-sensei. He looked confused.

"Like him? Does that mean you're . . . ?" Iruka-sensei asked innocently.

Sasuke's face resembled a tomato dipped in the darkest red paint. Iruka-sensei smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay. I don't mind. Who's the lucky guy?"

If possible, Sasuke turned redder. He swore that most of his blood had rushed to his face. He bit lower lip and squirmed in his chair a bit.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's perfectly understandable."

The Uchiha glanced at Iruka-sensei as he went back to his documents.

"The lucky guy's you, Iruka-sensei," Sasuke said.

Iruka-sensei looked up from his documents, obviously surprised.

"Uh, I've got to go. I just remembered I had something else to do! Bye!"

Sasuke teleported away, leaving an Iruka who was still trying to process what he just heard.

-

Days later, Sasuke heard a knock on his apartment door. He opened it and gulped. Iruka-sensei stood in the doorway.

"Iruka-sensei! Hi! What are you doing here?"

The sixteen-year-old blushed crimson and mentally cursed himself for it. Iruka-sensei smiled warmly at him.

"I wanted to talk to you about what you said earlier. It's not everyday I hear a love confession," Iruka-sensei replied.

Sasuke gulped again.

"Ah, it's nothing, nothing at all. Sorry to waste your time."

Sasuke tried to shut the door, but Iruka-sensei stuck his foot between the door and its frame. The boy frowned and looked up sheepishly at Iruka-sensei.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Sasuke-kun. I don't mind. In fact, I return your feelings."

Sasuke blinked and stared in shock at him.

"For a long while, actually. When you betrayed the village, it was a nightmare for me as well, and not just because I taught you. It was because I cared about you so much."

Iruka-sensei kept his warm smile in place as he said this.

"Care to give us a try, Sasuke-kun? If you don't think you're ready for a relationship, that's fine, too."

"No! Of course I am!" As long as it's with you.

"Keep in mind that since you're still under age, we can't do anything."

"I turn seventeen in a week."

Iruka-sensei chuckled nervously.

-

Red Roses2: You know the drill. Review, report OOC-ness, grammatical errors, ect. Flames for this one will be mailed to Sasuke's door step instead of being banished. 


	4. Heart of a Boar

Red Roses2: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. One-shot. IruIno. Don't like, don't read. Constructive criticism is appreciated, praise will be liked, but I would like help with my writing more.  
-

"Hey, Sakura, what's the matter? Why do you look so down?" Ino asked her best friend, Sakura.

The pink-haired girl looked up from staring at the ground sadly.

"Is it true? Is what everyone is saying true?"

"Is what true, Sakura?" Ino said, honestly not understanding what was so bad.

"Do you like Sasuke, too?" Sakura asked, a hint of betrayal in her eyes.

Ino took in a sharp intake of breath. She had hoped she would never be asked that question. They sat on the bench in silence, the wind blowing through the tree branches, the leaves, and their hair.

"Y-yes, yes I do," Ino admitted, hoping that Sakura wouldn't be angry with her and still be her friend; she had kept her crush for a reason.

Sakura stood up and walked away from the bench.

"That means . . . we're rivals from now on," Sakura said, walking farther and farther away.

Ino stood up and watched her go. She wanted to shout "That doesn't mean we can't be friends, Sakura!" or "Idiot, you're just going to let our friendship break over some stupid boy!" or "I can't believe you value Sasuke more than me!" but none of it would come out. She merely watched her best friend's back until it faded into the distance.

"Sakura," Ino whispered, tears threatening to leak out of her eyes.

-

The blonde refused to cry, not for that back-stabber. Ino poked fun at Sakura very loudly when she hung out with her friends. It didn't matter if it was at school, on the street, at home, she'd say derogatory things about her as loud as she could manage. Sakura stuck her tongue out at Ino and stirred up fights with her. They argued and tried to see who could insult the other better, who could catch Sasuke's attention better, who looked prettier.

One day Ino actually landed herself in detention. She wasn't sure what she did to get detention. It caused her irritation, but she wasn't angry. She couldn't really be angry with Iruka-sensei. He was her sweet, kind teacher after all.

"So, tell me, Iruka-sensei, what'd I do? There has to be a reason I'm here," Ino said.

Iruka-sensei sat at his desk. He looked tired, stressed-out, and – worried?

"Ino-chan, what has . . . happened between you and Sakura? You two used to be great friends, but now . . . ."

Ino's face fell. Angry flames flared up in her eyes, her fists and teeth clenched, and Sasuke's and Sakura's faces entered her mind's eye. It was these moments, moments where she had to remember why Sakura ended their friendship, was when she hated Sasuke just as much as she was angry at Sakura. She'd never give up on getting Sasuke, though. She'd prove Sakura how wrong she was to leave her, no matter how much she grew to detest Sasuke, no matter how much she stepped out of her crush on him, no matter what.

"She's the one who ended it! All over Sasuke-baka! It's not my fault! She's the one who thinks rivals can't be friends! Who does she think she is, anyway?" Ino burst out, standing up and pacing.

She continued on her tirade until Iruka-sensei placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Ino-chan, I'm not saying you're not allowed to scream and shout about it, but wouldn't it be more productive if you talked to Sakura about this?"

"No way! I'm not going to crawl back to her like some cockroach! She gonna find out how much she needs me eventually and I'll be here when she does!"

Ino sat back down in her seat and crossed her arms. Iruka-sensei sighed and knelt down so that he and she were at eye-level.

"Ino-chan . . . . Would you like to go visit that new flower garden?"

Ino blinked slowly. She blinked twice more, then one more time after that. He was asking her to go to a flower garden with him? Well, she had wanted to go, but her parents had been too busy to take her, and she wasn't allowed to wander around Konoha by herself . . . .

"Sure!" she said, brightening up.

Iruka-sensei smiled at her warmly, stood up, took her hand in his and they left his office.

-

Years had past, Ino was now twelve, and she had discovered that spending time with Iruka-sensei in that beautiful garden, covered in roses, cherry blossoms, morning glories, and orchids, relieved some of the stress that she felt. Sometimes when they visited the garden (when he wasn't busy treating Naruto to ramen, playing go with Shikamaru, or helping Hinata with grocery shopping), they'd stay long enough for the sun to set and the moon to rise and she'd fall asleep in his comforting arms. She'd lapse into sweet, wonderful dreams involving the aesthetic smell of red roses and her Academy teacher.

She still picked fights with Sakura over Sasuke, but she didn't mean it when she said she still liked Sasuke. In truth, she hated his stuck-up manner, his degrading manner. But she knew Sakura wouldn't truly stand a chance without competition. She wanted to help her, and this was the best way she could in the relationship, or lack of, that they had. The man who really owned her heart, haunted her nicest dreams, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with was Iruka-sensei.

She kept the times they spent in the garden in her memory, close to her heart. There wasn't anything else she could do. She kept up an act that everyone had memorized, that everyone expected. She needed to keep it there, not just for Sakura, but so no one knew. Teacher-student relationships were looked down upon, even illegal. She couldn't tell anyone, couldn't let anyone know. If she truly was a ninja, she could keep this a secret forever. It was like a forbidden scroll, her crush. There was nothing else to do, but keep it hidden.

-

Sasuke betrayed them. Sasuke was gone. Ino was glad. Sakura was torn apart. Naruto was determined to bring him back. Iruka-sensei was there for everyone affected. He comforted Sakura, reminded Naruto not to push himself too hard, and he was there for Ino. She told him everything, and she was finally able to say "I don't like Sasuke anymore. Really. It's no big deal, Iruka-sensei. No need to worry about me. Just help Sakura-chan, alright?" She smiled brightly at him, finally as bright as she had wanted.

'Thank you Sasuke, for leaving. I can be open now, thanks to your bastardly ways.' Ino thought, trying not to laugh at how ironic her thought was.

There was still the issue that Iruka-sensei was too noble to date a minor, but she could wait. She could always wait.

-

Ino jumped up and down.

"Yahoo! I'm seventeen! Hurray!" she shouted, hurting Shikamaru's, Chouji's, and Sakura's ears; she and Sakura made amends after she admitted that she was over Sasuke.

"So? What's so great about that?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm legally an adult by everyone's standards now!" Ino reminded. "Not just ninja standards!"

"Yeah!" Sakura continued. "That means we can buy the romance novels in the Mature section!"

"And go into bars?" Shikamaru asked.

"Only if I want to!" Ino said, jumping up and down some more. "I'll see you at the bookstore, Sakura. I have something I've got to do first."

"Okay!" Sakura replied, walking off toward the bookstore, Shikamaru and Chouji in toe.

Ino walked to Iruka-sensei's apartment. She knocked on his door and waited patiently. He opened the door and smiled warmly at her, like he always did.

"Good morning, Ino-chan. How are you today?"

"I'm good! Do you remember what today is?"

"Hm," he said, faking memory loss. "Is it Saturday?"

"Which Saturday?"

"The Saturday you're birthday's on?"

"Yep! May I come in?"

"Sure."

Ino stepped into the small apartment. It had been a while since she had been in the cozy living room. The flower vase was still on the coffee table holding some of the roses from the garden they loved going to.

"Iruka-sensei, I actually came here to tell you something," Ino admitted.

"And what is that?" Iruka-sensei asked, stepping out of the living room to make some tea. "Herbal, green, or grey?"

"Green's fine. And it's something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I was just waiting for the right time, and now that I'm finally an adult, I can finally tell you," Ino explained as slowly as she could manage; she was too excited so she was having trouble not slurring words together.

"So, what is it? The suspense is killing me," Iruka-sensei said, almost teasingly, as he brought the teapot and the tea cups.

Ino grinned and, without hesitation because that's how she is, she said, "I'm in love with you!"

Iruka-sensei paused in his actions and stared at Ino, what she just said slowly sinking in.

"I have been for a long while, ever since I was twelve, but I knew you'd never date me until I was of age, so I've waited this long so I can get a truthful answer. Even if you don't like me back, though, can we still go to the garden? I love the time we spend there. The plants are so beautiful, especially in the spring," Ino babbled, acting as though it was an everyday occurrence that former students profess their love to their Academy teachers.

Iruka-sensei finally placed the tray on the coffee table and sat on the couch next to Ino, the information still sinking it. When it finally did, he glanced at Ino and saw that she wasn't the least bit nervous.

"Oh, did I mention that I'm of age now so, if you feel the same, we can do whatever we want without you getting arrested?"

"Yes, you did," Iruka-sensei said, still looking surprised. "Ino-chan, I do have feelings for you, but are you sure you want to - ?"

"Of course I'm sure! I'm seventeen and I've had this crush on you since I was twelve! You do the math! I love you! And now that you've said that you feel the same for me," Ino said, grabbing Iruka-sensei's hand and dragging him toward his bedroom.

"Hey! Ino-chan! You're taking this a little fast, aren't you? Ino-chan!"

-

Red Roses2: Hee hee! I'm torturing Iruka-kun. I really like this one, too. Review please, and give constructive criticism also. Flames shall be banished to the netherworld. Phone rings Hello? Oh, hey, Death God. Uh, you want to talk about the flames I keep sending you? 


	5. Love of a Cherry Blossom

Red Roses2: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Pairing: IruSaku. One-shot. No like, no read. Constructive criticism is welcome, and expected. Enjoy.

-

Sakura sighed contently as she stared at the brooding Uchiha. She admired the strength those arms held, the genius in that brilliant, dark-haired head of his. She giggled.

"Sakura-chan!" Iruka-sensei's voice intruded.

The girl started and looked at her Academy sensei.

"Uh, yes, sensei?"

Iruka crossed his arms, a disappointed look portrayed on his face. Sakura frowned, embarrassed. Had she not been paying attention again?

"I asked you what the statistics of a kunai hitting an enemy on the other side of a battlefield, in the dark, is," Iruka-sensei repeated.

Sakura's cheeks flushed.

"Oh, right. The statistics of that are two thousand to one if one is a normal chuunin. It's a hundred to one if one is a normal jonin. It's three million to one if one is a normal genin, and it's probability is zero for Academy students like us."

Iruka frowned a little.

"That's correct."

The teacher turned back to the board and continued his mathematical portion of today's lesson involving battle plans.

-

"Sakura-chan, I'd like you to see me after class," Iruka-sensei said as the bell rang.

The pink-haired girl tilted her head to the side, confused. Why did he need to see her? Ino walked past her and stuck her tongue out at her. Sakura glowered at the blonde. Then, Sasuke walked past her.

"Ah, bye Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called after him. He didn't bother to look at her. She frowned.

"Bye, Sakura-chan!" shouted Naruto. Sakura ignored him. She walked up to Iruka-sensei's desk after everyone else left.

Iruka-sensei sat in his chair. He set his elbows on the desk and intertwined his fingers together. He looked tired and disappointed.

"Sakura-chan, I'm concerned about the lack of attention you show in my class," Iruka-sensei began. Sakura's face contorted into a look of disbelief. No way! She got better grades than everyone else, except for Sasuke! "If you were caught in life-threatening danger, and you were still staring at Sasuke, watching him fight, an enemy ninja could easily come up behind you and . . . . well, the point is, it's not a desirable flaw." Sakura frowned and looked down at her feet. Was she drooling of Sasuke that much? "I just want you to concentrate more on your studies than on Sasuke-kun, alright? I'm glad you're able to have such good grades even while not paying attention, but think about what they would be if you paid attention. You might even out-perform Sasuke-kun in class!"

Iruka-sensei laughed good-naturedly, making Sakura giggle. Though she highly doubted she could out-match Sasuke, it was nice to hear praise from Iruka-sensei.

"You're allowed to leave now, Sakura-chan. Oh, and by the way," he said, handing her a piece of paper, "here's your test back."

Sakura gave a high-pitched squeal, leaned over the desk, and hugged Iruka-sensei.

"Thank you!" she cried and she ran out of the classroom to tell her parents about the 100 she just got.

-

"Hey, this is fun!" twelve-year-old Sakura said, climbing up the tree.

She felt Sasuke's, Naruto's, and Kakashi-sensei's eyes on her. She reached a top branch in no time.

"Looks like the female on the team has the best chakra control," Kakashi-sensei commented.

Sakura stuck her tongue out playfully. I followed your advice, Iruka-sensei, she thought, I haven't been staring at Sasuke as much, and look! I made it! Now Sasuke-kun will pay more attention to me!

She frowned as Kakashi-sensei started saying things that would make Sasuke not like her. She could care less about what Naruto thought about her . . . but he didn't have to step on his dream of becoming Hokage so readily. Sasuke and Naruto attempted to run up their respective trees. Sakura sighed and began to climb up some more.

-

Sakura knocked on the front door. The door opened and Iruka-sensei stood on the other side.

"Sakura-chan! Good evening! I didn't expect to see you at this hour," he said.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei. Mind if I come in?" Sakura asked.

"No, of course not. Come in, come in. Would you like some tea?"

Sakura nodded. She looked around the room. She hadn't actually been in Iruka-sensei's apartment before. For some reason, she thought it would've been bigger. It held a comforting aura, just like the aura Iruka-sensei seemed to give off all the time. The Academy teacher came back into the room with a tea pot and some cups.

"It's nice to see you again," Iruka-sensei said, setting the tray down.

"Yeah. Nice to see you, too," Sakura said distractedly.

Iruka-sensei sat next to her and poured the tea into her cup.

"Is there a specific reason you came, or did you just feel like it?"

Sakura tried to figure out exactly how to phrase what she wanted to say.

"A little of both. You see, I've been concentrating on my studies a little more than I used to, but no matter what I do, I don't seem to be able to get Sasuke-kun to like me. And . . . I don't mean to sound like I don't appreciate Kakashi-sensei teaching us, I do appreciate it – he probably has other things he'd rather do that teach – but I can't help but feel like . . . like you'd make a better jonin sensei. Sometimes I don't get Kakashi-sensei's teaching methods at all, and sometimes I feel like he spends more time with Naruto and Sasuke than with me. He has been teaching me a few new genjustu, but it's nothing that you haven't told us about in class. Nothing that could really do much against an enemy. And, I can't help but feel that I'm falling behind. What do you think I should do? You seem like you would be able to tell me what to do."

Iruka-sensei sipped his tea, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well, maybe you should do a little training on your own. Refine what you do know and work on what you have trouble with. As long as you keep working and are confident in yourself, I really don't think you can do anything wrong. As for Sasuke, if he doesn't realize how good and sweet and brilliant you are, then that's his problem. You shouldn't let that be all you care about, or what makes you special, because it's not. What makes you you isn't what Sasuke thinks. It's what you think about yourself and what you are capable of, which is quite a lot if you allow yourself to do it. Does that help you?"

Sakura looked up at her former teacher. A smile and kind gaze greeted her. She smiled back and finished her tea.

"Yeah, that helps a lot. Thanks, Iruka-sensei."

-

"Sasuke! Please! Don't leave! If you do, I'll scream!" Sakura cried, tears running down her cheeks. That'll make him stay, Sakura thought.

Sasuke disappeared from view. A thwack on the back was all Sakura remembered after that.

"Saskue-kun," she whispered as she fell.

She woke to the sound of a chuunin telling her to wake up. She realized where she was.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

-

Her face radiated heat. Tears burned her cheeks. She couldn't stop crying. Naruto-kun . . . . she hoped he'd be alright. Sasuke-kun . . . . . she hoped he'd come back, safe and sound. Lee-san . . . . . she hoped he'd be alright, too. She also hoped for Choji, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba. And Kakashi-sensei. She didn't want to think that they were in danger and she was trapped back in Konoha, alone. She also didn't want to be part of the reason they'd be hurt. She'd begged Naruto-kun to go and bring back Sasuke-kun. Like Sasuke-kun was all that mattered to her. Sobs escaped her like spontaneous, annoying hiccups. How could she be so selfish? Naruto-kun cared about him, too. He already had the pressure and pain of loosing his best friend. She didn't need to make him promise. He'd never give up, now that he'd promised. Oh, what did she do to him? Could she ever make it up?

"Sakura-chan?"

She gasped and looked up. Iruka-sensei, an arm filled with books and papers, stood in front of her with a concerned expression on her face. The look made her want to cry more. He shouldn't be worrying about her! He should be worrying for Naruto-kun and the others! She was just the worthless teammate who let her friend go and get himself killed, who couldn't save her crush before it was an emergency! No one should bother caring for her! No one . . . . . .

Iruka-sensei knelt down.

"Would you like to come with me to my apartment? I need some assistance with grading these papers. I can make some herbal tea to help your nerves, too," Iruka-sensei said.

Sakura leaned into him and sobbed on his shoulder. Iruka-sensei held her. She let him take her back to his apartment.

"I'm worried about them, too," Iruka-sensei confided in her, "but we must believe that they'll make it alive because if we don't, Naruto's going to have a hissy fit that we didn't believe in him."

Sakura choked on a giggle.

-

Iruka-sensei stood next to her in the hospital, waiting to see Naruto. Iruka had arrived a little while after she did. He held something in the crook of his arm. It looked oddly like a go board. She didn't ask why he had it; she figured it must've been to comfort Shikamaru.

"Do you want to see him first?" Iruka-sensei asked after a small silence.

Sakura looked up at Iruka-sensei, surprised. He smiled at her.

"You can if you want to. I can come back later."

Sakura shook her head and bowed.

"No, you can see him first. I know he'd like it," she said.

Iruka-sensei's smile twitched downward. His face held a pensive look for a moment.

"No, you go ahead. Just keep this in mind." Sakura looked up. "None of this is your fault. Sasuke-kun is just having a hard time figuring out who he is and what he wants to do. It takes a few mistakes to figure these things out. He . . . he's had thoughts about searching for more power for a while now. Ever since his family died. It's a miracle this hasn't happened before now. And Naruto . . . he would've ended up like this even if you hadn't talked to him before they left." Iruka-sensei smiled at her again. "I don't have to tell you why that is."

Sakura stood up straight and watched him as he left. Her heart began to beat faster and her cheeks heated slightly. She gulped. What – what was happening? She had only felt this way around Sasuke-kun before now . . . . . .

-

It used to be that the mere mention of Sasuke made her heart beat faster and she found the urge to squeal. It used to be Sasuke that made her argue with Ino. It used to be Sasuke that made her stay up late at night, worrying. Sasuke used to do a lot of things to her. But now, it seemed to be that whenever Iruka-sensei was mentioned or around, her cheeks flushed and her heart became a humming bird. Her dreams became haunted by the guardian who had rescued her from her self-loathing – twice. She didn't worry about Sasuke-kun as much, about what was happening to him. She worried more about Naruto, but her thoughts were infected with Iruka-sensei through and through. It was . . . . a wonderful feeling, with the knowledge that he cared about her. When she thought back on her feelings for Sasuke, she felt that the loner was intoxicating, addicting. With Iruka-sensei, she felt a need for him, but he wasn't like a drug. She could live without him, yet she'd want to be with him. She didn't feel the need to follow him around and worship him. She felt like she was someone around him. It was like being around Naruto, but much better. Naruto was just her friend, if not best friend. But Iruka-sensei was something more. He must've been. Why else would she feel this way?

Iruka-sensei sputtered and stuttered when she confessed. She knew he was trying to find the words to say "I'm too old for you." She knew he'd play the you're-a-minor card, so she said that she'd wait for him as long as he felt the same way and was willing to wait for her. Iruka-sensei sat quietly for a moment.

"I – I shouldn't feel this way for you, Sakura-chan. But . . . I do, and I will wait for you. On one condition."

"What condition?"

"I won't do anything if it means hurting Naruto."

Sakura nodded, understanding.

"I don't want to hurt Naruto either."

-

Sakura knocked on Naruto's apartment door. She waited for Naruto to open the door. She knew he was in there. She could hear sounds on the other side of the door, though they sounded like they were coming from the living area. Sakura took out her key and unlocked the door.

"Naruto! It's me, Sakura!"

The sounds of something falling to the floor clattered through the hall. Naruto's cursing followed. He ran into the hallway and grinned at Sakura.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. Uh, you kinda came at a bad time."

Sakura looked him up and down. Naruto wore only his pants. She heard a grunt from the living room (which she couldn't see from her current position). Naruto looked worried. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Who's in the other room?" she asked.

Naruto blushed.

"Does that really matter?" he asked.

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but the sight of Kakashi-sensei cut her off.

"Yo," was all Kakashi-sensei said. Sakura looked Kakashi-sensei up and down. He did wear all of his clothing, except they looked oddly wrinkled. She took another look at Naruto. There were two red spots on his neck. Her eyes widened slightly.

"You're . . . . dating Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, just for clarification.

Naruto turned the brightest red in the history of red. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be waiting for Naruto to say something. When it became evident that the blond was too embarrassed to say, Kakashi-sensei sighed.

"Yes, we are. You're not bothered by this fact, are you?" the teacher asked.

Sakura shook her head. At least she knew Naruto wouldn't be hurt.

-

"Iruka-sensei, you won't believe what I found out today," Sakura said. 

"What?"

"Naruto's dating Kakashi-sensei."

The Academy sensei became eerily quite. Sakura couldn't see his face very well because he was bent over grading papers.

"Oh really?" he said, not looking up.

She nodded. Iruka-sensei set the paper he was grading aside and stood up.

"Sakura-chan, do you happen to know where Kakashi-san is at the present moment?"

"Either in a bar with Asuma-sensei or still at Naruto's."

"Thank you."

Later that day, Sakura heard the yelling of a man who just now discovered how terrifying Academy teachers could be.

-

In the days that followed, after Sakura's seventeenth birthday, Tsunade-sama noticed that Iruka-sensei and Sakura tended to hold hands when they were together. Shizune commented that it was cute. Tsunade-sama wasn't sure what to think. But her new student seemed happy, and she supposed that in the life of a ninja, that was all that truly mattered.

-

Red Roses2: Amazing! I actually wrote it! Please review. Flames will be torn apart by nin-dogs. And, my God! It's eight pages! O-O Please tell me if I wrote a good Sakura. I'm not used to writing her. Then again, I'm not used to writing in Sasuke's, Ino's, or Shikamaru's POVs either. If anyone has a request for what pairing I should do next, just tell me. Your choices for the moment are: IruNaru, IruShino, IruChou, IruHina, and IruLee. There seems to be no evidence that I can find that I can pair Iruka up with Neji, Tenten, or any of the Sand kids, so after those I will go on to pairing Iruka with the adults, such as Anko, Shizune, Kakashi, Ibiki, Hayate, ect. 


	6. Beware the Byakkugan

Red Roses2: Disclaimer: I don▓t own Naruto. And I▓m back in a Naruto mood! Woohoo! Let the Iruka-ness commence! Pairing: Iru . . . well, you▓ll see. I▓m tempted to just jump to pairing Iruka with adults, but I want to prove something.

-

Hinata peeked around a tree, watching Naruto train. A blush rested upon her face as he worked himself into exhaustion. She gasped at the sound of someone behind her and turned around. Iruka-sensei leaned on the building, hands in his pockets.

⌠How long have you been here, Hinata-chan?■ Iruka-sensei asked, his voice strangely serious.

Hinata▓s blush intensified.

⌠A √ a bit, Iruka-sensei,■ she admitted.

Iruka sighed, but a stern aura still hung around him.

⌠I▓d prefer it if you didn▓t spy on Naruto-kun like that for hours on end, Hinata-chan.■

Hinata▓s eyes widened.

⌠I √ I▓m not spying on Naruto-kun. I √ I was j √ just keeping an eye on h-him.■

She lowered her head as Iruka-sensei straightened up and crossed his arms.

⌠Yes, sensei,■ Hinata whispered and ran off. She overheard Iruka-sensei calling out to Naruto-kun, asking him if he wanted to go get ramen. Frowning, she went home.

-

Hinata arranged her pictures of Naruto-kun on her dresser for the umpteenth time. She couldn▓t get the boy▓s cute determinedness out of her mind, wishing to be just like him, to have courage like him. She wished that some of the boy▓s traits would rub off on her and she would then become a good heir to the Hyuuga clan. She wished she could make her family happy, have Neji not hate her so much. She shook her head and headed to the Academy.

-

Running through the halls might not have been the best idea. She turned a corner and immediately ran into Iruka-sensei. Scrolls fell to the floor, and both of them knelt down to pick them up.

⌠I-Iruka-sensei?■ Hinata said suddenly, ⌠W-why do you have so many scrolls?■

⌠I have other business to attend to. Mizuki-sensei will be your substitute today. Hurry along, they▓ll start in a minute or two,■ Iruka muttered distractedly.

Hinata noticed that one of the scrolls wasn▓t rolled up all the way and caught sight of T&I forms. Something about a refusal of resignation . . . . . . . Iruka-sensei snatched it up and continued down the hall, faster than he had been earlier. Hinata wondered why he had to take those scrolls to the Torture & Interrogation Office. She decided she▓d wonder about it later and hurried along.

-

Hinata activated her Byakkugan and focused on the T&I building. Iruka-sensei hadn▓t returned from it for two days. What on Earth could be going on in there? The entire class asked Hinata to use her Byakkugan to find out. Kiba was straining his ears to hear even a cough that could▓ve been from Iruka-sensei. Sasuke, Shino, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Naruto stood around them, waiting for the news. The rest of the class were positioned around the area, acting as lookouts; they were supposed to be at the playground and children weren▓t allowed near the T&I building no matter what the hour.

⌠Hear or see anything?■ Chouji asked.

Kiba replied, ⌠I▓m not having any luck.■

Hinata gasped as she finally found him. Iruka looked to be talking animatedly with two interrogation ninja, one with purple hair in a ponytail, the other a very scarred face. Whatever they were discussing, it seemed to anger Iruka-sensei.

Kiba suddenly said, ⌠Hey, I can hear him now! Something about not being able to teach and interrogate at the same time . . . . Did anyone else know he used to interrogate people?■

Hinata watched as the one with purple hair stood up and started yelling at Iruka-sensei (or at least that was what it looked like). The scarred one stayed seated and his mouth moved as though he was saying something. Whatever he said seemed to upset Iruka-sensei further and he looked like he was trying to give a convincing argument but the purple-haired one kept interrupting.

Kiba continued, ⌠There▓s a whole lot of muffled yelling. I can▓t make out many of the words. Something along the lines of ⌠hard work■, ⌠for nothing■, ⌠team■, and ⌠bunch of brats.■ Hey! We▓re not brats!■

Hinata gasped.

⌠What?!■ Naruto demanded. ⌠What▓s happening, Hinata!■

⌠IRUKA-SENSEI!■ Hinata screamed.

Sasuke covered her mouth.

⌠They▓ll find us!■ Sasuke hissed; he yelped in pain. ⌠She bit me!■

Kiba▓s face contorted into an expression of panic.

⌠Hide!■ Kiba ordered, quickly jumping into a bush, Akamaru following. Hinata, on the other hand, ran toward the door. She turned a corner and came face-to-face with a couple of T&I ninja.

⌠You▓re not supposed to be - ,■ started one, but Hinata interrupted him.

⌠Let Iruka-sensei out!■ Hinata demanded. ⌠P-please.■

The two ninja gave each other knowing looks, and she could▓ve sworn they looked as though they didn▓t want to deal with this. One took off back into the building and the other one kept an eye on Hinata. Soon, Iruka-sensei returned with the one who left and the scarred one she had seen with her Byakkugan.

⌠This kid apparently thinks we▓re keeping Iruka-san hostage,■ said the ninja who had stayed with her.

Hinata turned to the scarred ninja.

⌠P-please give Iruka-sensei back. W-whatever he did wrong, I-I▓m sure he didn▓t mean t-to. We▓d r-really like him b-back. W-we▓d rather have him instead of M-Mizuki-sensei.■ Hinata said, bowing to the scarred ninja.

Iruka-sensei gave the scarred ninja a slightly triumphant look, with a dash of ▒I told you so▓ in it. The scarred ninja scowled, closed his eyes and said, ⌠Why the hell not. Off with you and don▓t come back.■ Iruka-sensei nodded and, taking Hinata by the arm, walked off. When they were out of earshot, Iruka-sensei asked, ⌠Is the entire class out here wondering if I▓ve been dismembered?■

Hinata blushed and nodded.

⌠Iruka-sensei! You▓re okay!■ yelled Naruto▓s voice. Hinata▓s blush deepened as the orange-clad ninja ran up and hugged Iruka-sensei.

Naruto-kun, Hinata thought, you▓re so exuberant and unashamed. I wish I could be like you.

She barely noticed Iruka-sensei calling for the entire class to get back to the playground before Mizuki-sensei pitched a fit trying to find them.

-

Iruka-sensei frowned at Hinata. Hinata kept her eyes on the ground. Iruka-sensei waited for some sort of alibi, but none came.

⌠Hinata-chan, is there any particular reason why you are stalking Naruto-kun?■ Iruka-sensei asked.

Hinata blushed a deep red.

⌠I √ I▓m not s-stalking him, Iruka-sensei,■ Hinata whispered. Iruka-sensei put his hands on his hips.

⌠Oh really? Then what do you call staring at Naruto and me throughout the entire day, following us everywhere we go, on a Sunday?■

⌠I-Iruka-sensei . . . . .■ Hinata▓s words caught in her throat and she couldn▓t bring herself to say it.

Iruka-sensei didn▓t relax or soften his gaze as he often did with all of his students. Hinata▓s blush deepened and she gulped.

⌠I √ I l-love Naruto-kun. And I √ I can▓t help it. I j-just want to see him.■ Hinata said.

Iruka-sensei seemed to ponder upon this for a minute, then sighed.

⌠Promise me this, Hinata-chan,■ Iruka-sensei said. ⌠Promise me you will never hurt Naruto, never do anything to take away his right to privacy, and never . . . and never make him feel any worse.■

Hinata looked up at Iruka-sensei. He looked genuinely worried about this. Hinata nodded.

⌠I √ I promise, Iruka-sensei.■

He smiled, but Hinata could almost taste the sadness and worry it hid.

-

While working with her team, Hinata didn▓t run into Iruka-sensei or Naruto-kun a lot. She learned a lot about Shino-kun and Kiba-kun. She discovered Kiba-kun could draw very well, and that Shino-kun had a talent in cooking √ something she had never thought the Aburame would have liked to do. Kurenai-sensei was a strict but nice teacher, and she reminded her of Iruka-sensei sometimes.

One day, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino walked down the street, returning from a mission. Kiba recounted their adventures with exaggerations. Neither Hinata nor Shino corrected him in any way, knowing that he was still on an adrenaline high. Kurenai-sensei managed to get them the exciting D-ranks. Yes, those existed. The only reason the other teams didn▓t get them was because Kurenai-sensei kept taking them.

Then, Kiba stopped in mid-sentence.

⌠What▓s wrong, Kiba-kun?■ Hinata asked.

⌠I hear something. Something that . . . shouldn▓t be happening outdoors,■ Kiba said, his face contorting into a pained expression.

⌠What shouldn▓t be happening outdoors?■ Shino questioned, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Sighing, Hinata opted to use her Byakkugan to find out, thinking that it couldn▓t possibly be as bad as Kiba was saying.

⌠No! Hinata!■ Kiba cried, but too late.

Hinata received a glimpse of what Kiba had heard and squeaked. Kiba sighed, looked at Shino▓s questioning look, and decided to answer.

⌠It▓s the sound of a couple doing it, okay?■ Kiba said. ⌠This is the only time when I hate my bloodline.■

⌠N-not just anyone.■ Hinata squeaked; Kiba and Shino looked at her, both with expressions that said ▒Do we really want to know?▓. ⌠I-it▓s . . . Iruka-sensei . . . a-and . . . N-Naruto-kun . . . . . .■

⌠WHAT!?■ Kiba screamed. Shino▓s eyebrows flew into his headband. Hinata▓s Byakkugan faded away and she promptly fainted from shock.

-

⌠Are you sure you saw what you thought you saw?■ Kiba asked for the thousandth time once Hinata regained consciousness.

Hinata nodded, stunned. That just didn▓t seem to be like Iruka-sensei . . . . Naruto was twelve!

Shino sat next to Kiba, his eyebrows still not returning from his headband.

⌠What do we do then?■ Kiba replied.

⌠Nothing,■ Shino suddenly said. Both looked at him. ⌠It is Naruto▓s and Iruka-sensei▓s business. It is not something we should intrude upon. We do not tell anyone. We do not speak of this again. We do not ask questions. Understood?■

Hinata half-expected Kiba to argue, but the Inuzuka nodded.

⌠Okay. I mean, why not? Iruka-sensei is the most responsible person we know. He must have a good reason, right? I▓m just worried he▓s going to get into trouble. Really big trouble.■ Kiba said.

Hinata didn▓t know what to say to that. She found herself nodding.

-

Hinata stared at her Naruto pictures and put them all face-down. A small smile crept its way onto her face. The more she thought about it, the more Iruka-sensei sounded better for Naruto. He would never hurt Naruto and would always look after him. It sounded like a perfect match now that the shock was over. Her smile widened and she left the house for training.

-

Red Roses2: Please review. Tell me how Hinata was portrayed. Tell me your suspicions, conspiracies, etcetera. 


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